Bylaugh
| Bylaugh | |
| Norfolk | |
|---|---|
 St. Mary's, Bylaugh | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TG033189 |
| Location: | 52°43’44"N, 1°-0’43"E |
| Data | |
| Population: | 65 (2001) |
| Post town: | Dereham |
| Postcode: | NR20 |
| Dialling code: | 01362 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Breckland |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Mid Norfolk |
Bylaugh is a parish in Norfolk, four and a half mile north-east of East Dereham and 14 miles north-west of Norwich. The parish is bounded to the south by the River Wensum and is sparsely populated, with no core settlement. The parish is dominated by Bylaugh Hall and its associated parkland.[1]
History
Bylaugh's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin,[2] The Domesday Book recorded it as a settlement of 14 households in the Hundred of Eynesford and part of the estates of Alan of Brittany.[3] The village appears to have been prosperous in to the 14th century, but had declined by the mid-15th century and was deserted at some point after this. No clear site for a deserted mediæval village is known and there is no obvious reason for the decline of the settlement.[1][4][5]
Bylaugh Hall, built of stone in 1851, and its estate are immediately north of the church.[6] The hall was the headquarters of No. 100 Group RAF during Second World War. The hall's flat (parapet) roof has "obelisks and heraldic beasts";[6]
The hall's gatepiers, farm-enclosing railings and gazebo are separately listed, as are a farm building and clocktower.[7][8] The house was stripped of its lead and interior fittings and abandoned in 1950. Restoration began in 2004.[9]
Parish church
Bylaugh's parish church, St Mary, is one of Norfolk's 124 remaining round-tower churches. It is Grade I listed[10] and was significantly re-built in 1809 by Charles Barry at the expense of Sir John Lombe who is buried in the chancel.[11]
A plaque on the west side of the church states:: The chancel of this church rebuilt, the North and South transepts added. The tower buttress, windows, roof and battlements substantially rebuilt and repaired. And the interior of this church and chancel fitted up at the sole expense of Sir John Lombe Bart. – Patron
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Bylaugh) |
- St Mary's: European Round Tower Churches
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Robertson D (2005) Parish Summary: Bylaugh, Norfolk Heritage Explorer. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
- ↑ Place-Names
- ↑ Bylaugh in the Domesday Book
- ↑ Possible site of Bylaugh deserted mediæval village, Norfolk Heritage Explorer. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
- ↑ Davison A (1996) Deserted villages in Norfolk, p. 75. North Walsham: Poppyland Publishing. ISBN 0-946148-51-1
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 National Heritage List 1077349: Bylaugh Hall (Grade II* listing)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1342546: Gatepiers, Railings, Gazebo (Grade II listing)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1169004: Farmhouse and Clocktower (Grade II listing)
- ↑ Bylaugh Hall, Norfolk Heritage Explorer. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1077392: Church of St Mary (Grade I listing)
- ↑ "Norfolk Churches". http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/bylaugh/bylaugh.htm.